State agencies are severely understaffed at a time when people need them the most. West Monroe Senator Mike Walsworth says during tough budget times, there were employment cutbacks at the Department of Children and Family Services and the Governor’s Office of Emergency Preparedness, because Louisiana hasn’t seen a hurricane in several years…:
cut 4 (09) “an emergency”
He says they may need to look into training state retirees in case of emergencies.
US Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro and the administrator from the Small Business Administration Maria Contreras-Sweet say the federal government is committed to the flood recovery in Louisiana. Contreras-Sweet reminds flood victims they can apply for low interest loans to repair their damaged home or business..:
Cut 10 (08) “more manageable”
Some people have suggested that if the Comite River Diversion Project in East Baton Rouge Parish had been completed, the flooding wouldn’t have been so severe. But the Army Corps of Engineers says that’s not the case. Deputy District Commander Mark Wingate says the project would only have helped a small part of the affected region…:
Cut 13 (09) “in place”
Wingate says the project would have helped on the Comite River, but not the Amite or other rivers in the basin that also flooded.
After the agriculture businesses took a $110 million hit from the flood, crawfish farmers will have to wait to see how much their harvest was affected. LSU AgCenter aquaculture specialist, Mark Shirley, says some fields that were only flooded for a day or two should be alright. But he says fields that had more water could see some losses.